This scratch & sniff book is not childish

You might not take a book titled “The Scratch & Sniff Book of Weed” seriously. And you might not take the book’s thick pages, like those in books for babies, seriously either. But then you open the cover and find those pages packed with information.

For example, maybe you know that the term “420” (celebrated today at marijuana smoke-outs) was invented in San Rafael. But you may not know that THC was first identified in 1964, or that the country with the highest percentage of pot users is Iceland.

Too trivial? Then let the authors explain terpenes, myrcene and caryophyllene to you. They avoid the term “marijuana,” but they don’t justify their consistent use of the slang term “weed."

As for that scratch & sniff gimmick, the authors admit that the technology is about as basic as it’s always been. Most of the scents smelled like unidentifiable perfumed paper to me, but the citrus notes come through well. Maybe I should try again once my olfactory glands have been enhanced.